All Currency articles
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PodcastWhy Hard Currency Emerging Market Debt is Back in Focus
Emerging market debt has weathered a long stretch of tight financial conditions—marked by a strong US dollar, higher global rates, and uneven post-pandemic recoveries. With the dollar softening and policy rates beginning to ease, investors are warming up to hard currency EM debt as a potentially attractive source of diversification and carry.
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White papersWhat is the next chapter for the dollar?
Structural tailwinds that have supported the US dollar over the past three years appear to be fading: global growth is converging, the US Federal Reserve has started to cut rates, and the European Central Bank is set to hike.
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White papersBeyond emerging markets: unlocking benefits of frontier local currency debt
Frontier local currency debt is among the most overlooked corners of the global fixed income market, yet it offers a rare mix of diversification, yield, and - contrary to popular belief - relatively low volatility. Building on the familiar case for emerging market debt, frontier markets take investors a step further into smaller, less crowded economies that remain far off the radar of most global allocators. Few are better positioned for this challenge than Aktia’s Emerging Markets team, which has been managing the Aktia EM Frontier Bond+ strategy for nearly a decade.
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White papersStablecoin: extending the reach of money into the digital era
By combining the payment efficiency of blockchain technology with the value stability derived from being pegged to the world’s reserve currency (USD), stablecoins have emerged as a monetary invention that some believe could revolutionise the financial world. While other countries are promoting stablecoins denominated in their own currencies, the recent passing of the GENIUS Act marks a major milestone: it represents an explicit endorsement from the US government that could push stablecoin development and adoption into high gear.
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White papersUS dollar dominance: Playing Jenga with the global monetary system
Assumptions that underpin the US dollar’s status as the world’s primary reserve currency are eroding more quickly than expected. What happens if the tower starts to collapse?
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White papersCryptocurrencies break into the mainstream
The digital asset landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, partly due to regulatory shifts that are lowering some of the barriers that previously deterred regulated financial institutions from entering the market. After years of being dominated by retail investors and early adopters, institutional interest in crypto assets is now emerging and has the potential to shape how the ecosystem matures, as well as how its credibility evolves.
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White papersThe US Dollar Free Lunch is Over. What Now?
Unhedged USD investors have long seen strong returns and lower risk, but 2025 brings new challenges. A single hedge strategy no longer fits all—our recent papers reflect differentiated hedging approaches across currencies.
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White papersA Weaker Dollar? It May Be Time to Get Used to It
Policy shifts may create an incentive to diversify.
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White papersScenarios for a fragmented world
The world is at a geopolitical crossroads, as one of the major pillars of the existing global order—the United States—has begun to question the foundational assumptions of that system. Although the global order began to unravel following the 2008 financial crisis, successive US administrations—including President Biden’s—sought to uphold the existing framework through traditional alliances.
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White papersWhy the dollar deserves more credit
In a recent paper, we argued that sustained weakness in the US dollar would require clear evidence of narrowing real interest rate or growth differentials between the US and its major trading partners—conditions that have yet to fully materialise. Since then, the narrative around the weak dollar has continued to gain traction, but much of the perceived dollar weakness is actually a reflection of euro strength, which may now be overextended.
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White papersThe Dollar: Half Awake in a Fake Empire?
The dollar is now less of a safe haven and investors should respond accordingly. Having said that, the lack of any viable alternative means that a shift away from the dollar is likely to be slow rather than sudden. Indeed, despite all the angst and column inches, there is zero evidence of significant outflows from US assets so far.
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White papersSecular Outlook 2025: Five-year return forecasts for equities, bonds, currencies and alternatives
We anticipate that returns across major asset classes will converge over the next five years. As a long-term investor, this presents you with an opportunity to reassess and refine your strategic asset allocation. Our experts share detailed forecasts and actionable recommendations.
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PodcastThe End of US Exceptionalism?
Rick Brink: Hello, everyone, and welcome to this very first installment in our new AB series, Beyond Consensus: Thoughts from the Dismal Roundtable. My name is Rick Brink, Market Strategist within AB’s Client Group.
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White papersWhat would it take to see a sustained weakness in the dollar?
About a month after “Liberation Day,” the US dollar has shown signs of stabilisation, though it continues to soften against most developed and emerging markets currencies.
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White papersWhat to expect for the US Treasury market?
Until very recently, the US dollar (and US capital markets) seemed to reign supreme. The dollar has increasingly dominated as the currency of global transactions. Swift payments denominated in dollars rose from just over 30% of the total in early 2010 to an all-time high of 50.2% in January 2025.
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White papersDollar in the Doldrums
Why there has been no bounce-back by the greenback, and what that implies for asset allocation.
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White papersThe greenback is singing the blues
But the US dollar’s recent decline isn’t a sign it will relinquish its status as the reserve currency.
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White papersPreserving central bank credibility: Addressing threats to the Fed’s independence
Rising geopolitical tensions and inflation are testing investor confidence in 2025, challenging central bank independence and market stability. U.S. Treasurys remain a key safe haven, but their dominance is increasingly under scrutiny amid global uncertainty.
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White papersQuick take on Trump’s tariff pause
President Trump has announced a 90-day truce with most of the international community, reducing tariffs to the baseline rate of 10% for the European Union (EU), Asia (excluding China) and South Africa, among other countries. This is a positive development. Most other major economies, including Latin America, Canada, the UK, and Australia, were already subject to baseline rate tariffs or lower.
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White papersLocal-Currency Frontier Bonds: EMD’s New Horizon
High yields, surprisingly low volatility and strong diversification benefits are attracting investor interest.
